Adjustable silo-roof.



C. W. & W. H. CHAMBERS. ADJUSTABLE SILO ROOF. APPLICATION FILED MAY 15,1012.

1,1.5,%0f 3. Patented July 28, 1914.

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IOWA.

' ADJUSTABLE sine-Room Specification of Letters Intent. Application filed may 15, 1912.

PatentedJuly 28, 1914. Serial No. eamsaa.

To (illicit-0m it may concern Be t known that we, CYRUS W. CHAM- nnns and VVXLLIAM H. CHAMBERS, citizens of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and use :lul Adjustable Siloltoof, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention provides for the adjustability of the triangular roof sections used in this class of silos, thus permittin them to fit the silo without necessarily aving been made to aceordto its diameter, and also for the self-adjustment in the assemblage of the sections to each other so that when the roof is closed their edges shall be accurately jointed, thus preventing cutting and miniamount of time employed in erection.

Further objects are to utilize the full capacity of the tank after shrinkage or settling of the silage, and to allow ready access to the interior of the tank.

Figure 1 shows in part a lan view partly in section of our lIllPI'OVGt root mounted upon a circular silo of usual type, two roof sections being seen in open position, and other sections in closed position. Fig. 2 shows a vertical central sectional v cw on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, also indicating two adjustable roof sections as open, and 0 a netting as hereinafter described.- 1; 3 shows in detail our im rovcd hinge arrange ment as applied to the silo proper and a roof section. Figs. l,5 and 6 show detached views of our hinge. I 4 Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a portion of the silo proper and upon it is mounted a series of rafters 2. These having the top edge of the silo tank as a base rise to an apex. Hinged at or near the. top of the silo tank are roof sections 3 the number of which is governed by the diameter of the silo. hese sections when closed are supportpd by the rafters 2, and when opened are held in a substantially vertical position by mcans of the projections 4 abuttin against the upper part of the silo tank. lhe roof sections 3, as in Figs. 1 and 2, On being raised to vertical position, allow the silage to be thrown over them, and when the silage has settled the roof sections are lowered so' as to be supported by the rafters, thus foripmg a complete and well constructed rout? hinge of attachment In order to allow for the adjustability of the roof sections and to permit themto fitsilos of varying diameters, we employ hinges of particular construction to attach the roof sections to the silo tank as shown generally lILFlgS. 1 and f2, and in detail in Fig. 3. The is composed of two members 5 andfi, the former being attachod to the inner side of the lower end of a roof section, and the latter to the silo near its top. The mode of. the hinge to the silo and in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In the upper member of the hinge is a slot 7 in w iich fits the squared portion 8 of a bolt 9, thus fastening said member to a roof-section 3. The lowitir member 6 of the hinge is attached near the upper edge of the silo. The upper member o is fitted to the part 6 by means of the pin 10 of the latter which enters the hole 11 of the former. sections are now snugly fitted upon the rafters, and by means of the bolts 9.are fastened to the hinge parts The squared part- 8 ot the bolt 9 resting in the slot 7 prevents the bolt 5 from turning while adjustments are made.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the member 5 of the hinge has angular relntion with respect to its fellow member 6,

root is shown this angularity conforming to that of the side of the triangular section. Though the member 5 has this angular relation to the member 6, the pivot pin 10 connecting the two members is at a right angle to the mem- The roof her 6, and therefore the pivotal movement.

on said pin is the same as though the two members of the hinge occupied parallel relations to each other. But inasmuch as the slot 7 has the same angularity as that of its member 5 and is of considerable length, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is apparent that thereof section 3 is capable of difierent adjustments whereby the sides of the sections may be accurately fitted with respect to each other. Thus, in the fitting of the triangular sections to the silo, assuming that the bolt 9 is free to slide in the angular slot 7 of the hinge member 5, when the series of triangular sections have been practically brought to closed position each section is free to adjust itself, in a plane or direction parallel to the slot, with respect to its contiguous section, the. settling which effects the fit being therefore automatic: and after the edges of the to that of the remaining sections, the slidlug of any one section upon another in the adjustment being in the line oi the common,

angnlarity of the roof, which is therefore preserved at all times, with the result that the roof is always flat, unbroken by undulations and consequently tight.

The root sections are preferably made of galvanized sheet metal, but may he of wood other'suitable material. it is Well known that the shrinkage or settling oil the silage is great, amounting in silo of ordinary size to many cubical feet,

and to compensate for this we use an open toppedv Wire netting 12 as shown in part in Fig, 2. This netting, which is-suitably supertcd by the tank, incloses the open spaces F-WJWEEH the vertically-standing roof sections, and provides a space Which may be tilled before the shrinkage or settling of the silage has occurred. After the silage in the space inclosed by the Wire netting has set tiled the farmer then close the roof sec- Havingthus described our invention, what We claim is 1. lln a silo tank, the combination of rafters rising to an apex, a series of tr1-' angular roof sections hinged to the upper portion of said tank, each roof section be ing unconnected with any other, hinges for each roof section, one member of each hinge being fixedly attached to said tank and the other member slotted and adapted to be adjus'tably secured to a roof section near the base thereof, a bolt for each hinge passing through the slotted member thereof and through the roof section, and means associated with said bolt for clamping said roof section to said slotted member, the construction being such that on loosening the bolt of each of itshinges vertical or lengthwise adjustment may be made of said root section Without changing the line of angularity common to itself and the remaining-roof sections, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a silo tank having. rafters running therefrom to an apex, a plurality of substantially triangular roof sections hinged to the upper portion of the tank, each section being slidably adjustable on its hinges independently of and in the pitch of the adjacent sections. substantially as forth.

CYRUS. W. GHAMBERS. WILLIAM ll. CHAMBERS .Wj tnesses WiLLiAM J. SLoAN, J. W. WARRiN. 

